Philippines revalidates 15,281 permits to import ag products
Of the total validated SPS-ICs, 603 were already tagged used and may be recycled by the permit holders, according to Agriculture Undersecretary for Operations, Ariel T. Cayanan.
Based on DA records, Cayanan said that of around 1,484 SPS-ICs issued before November, 23 have yet to be revalidated, but permit holders opted not to reapply for new import permits.
“Maybe because they don’t want to use them anymore, but then again, there could be other reasons,” Cayanan said.
Last November 22 Memorandum Circular 5 (MC 5), which authorized the DA to revalidate—and not revoke—all SPS-ICs issued before November 22, was signed. Under the MC 5, the DA would create two technical working groups (TWGs): SPS Inspection Group and SPS Monitoring and Evaluation Group.
The SPS Inspection Group will be responsible for conducting a mandatory inspection of all inbound shipments prior to the assessment for tariffication of the concerned Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel. The measure seeks to avoid the misdeclaration of goods.
Meanwhile, the SPS Monitoring and Evaluation Group will spearhead the “revalidation” process of all SPS-ICs in the country, which would be done manually. All affected importers will present their SPS-ICs physically to the TWG in the DA central office that would validate and authenticate the permits manually.
source: buinessmirror.com.ph
